Scarred
by Flying Tigers
Summary: A young woman goes to Jack bearing a letter she got recently from her brother, who disappeared ten years ago. The case, now reopened, reveals more secrets than originally thought. DOC
1. Prologue

Every agent will always have a personal case. A case that affects them more than any other one. This was Jack's case. On August 5th 1994, Michael Carson, sixteen, went missing. All leads went cold, all John Doe's weren't identified as Michael. His sister, Sydney, was twelve and held onto a piece of paper that was a goodbye note from Michael. Jack was determined to solve this case, whether it killed him or not. Their parents, Sandra and Vincent, retired to Maine while his sister, now 24, enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Vicenza, Italy. Orders brought her back to her home state of New York to train soldiers for an upcoming mission. A letter was mailed to Sydney thought to be from Michael. In early February of 2007, the Michael Carson case was reopened. 


	2. Then

Her flip flops made a clip-clop sound like a horse each time she took a step. It's been eleven years since she last stepped into this office. The young woman named Sydney tugged her pink shirt down one last time.

"Excuse me." She said to a middle age African American woman as she entered the bull pen.

"Yes." The woman said removing her glasses, holding them between her thumb and forefinger eyeing the young woman. She was average height with thick brown curly hair. But her hazel eyes; they were unforgettable. The sorrow could be recognized by anyone who's been working at the bureau for a minimum of a decade.

"I'm looking for Jack."

"He's right through there sweetie." She answer using her glasses as a pointer direction the young woman into the direction of a glass box. An older man could be seen hunched over a desk rubbing his temples not doubt counting to ten and back.

"Thank you ma'am" She said politely and walked away. A young Latino man came up to the woman's desk chuckling as he sat on the edge.

"You just go ma'amed Vivian."

"You'll get sir'd one day pretty boy.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" He joked feigning hope in his voice.

"I'm taken Danny." Laughed Vivian.

You could easily tell that they are a family, blood or not. 

"Movin' on up huh, Jackie boy." Jack looked up from his paperwork and could of sworn the young woman standing before him was twelve again, her brown hair braided into pigtails and freckles dotting her cheeks.

"Sydney." His voice soft as if her name was glass and speaking too loudly would shatter it.

"Yeah, it's me." Jack got up from his swivel leather chair embracing Sydney. He stroked her hair.

"It's been what, ten years."

"A little more maybe."

"I thought you were in Italy." The last Jack knew of Sydney was she enlisted in the Army and was currently a paratrooper stationed at Camp Darby in Italy.

"Training some cherries at Drum."

"You got big."

"You got old." She joked.

From the outside the team gathered around watching their superior agent hugging -what to them -was a stranger.

"Maybe she's a long lost daughter." Kidded Danny.

"Well he was in the Army. War bride?" A brunette man went along.

"Martin and Danny." Vivian started stifling her laughter. The pair were funny on their own but putting them together could keep you laughing for days. Even though Vivian knew the truth something inside her kept her from revealing it.

"Where's Sam." Martin asked poorly changing the subject. They all looked around and noticed their last team member, a female blonde, was missing in action.

"Coffee." Vivian declared.

XXX

"Does anyone know you're here?"

"My friends in New York and Italy. A couple of others in different states but that's just to hang out. "

"Okay. We're going to send this to Forensics and see if we can get any information off of it. Now agents, my agents, are going to check up on you periodically. Any other contact with this person such as other letters especially those with no return address you notify me immediately me. Day or night. Got it?" Sydney nodded her head allowing her hair to fall into her face. He loved to see her again but wished it was under better circumstances.

Jack led Sydney out of his office, his hand at the small of her back. The team watched the pair. Jack leaned over her shoulder, whispering to her. He stopped at the elevators and watched the doors bing open and bing closed.

Turning back to his team, Jack motioned for everyone to take a seat around the rectangular table.

"Where's Sam?" questioned Jack once they all were seated. At that moment a blonde woman dressed in a black suit cam rushing it.

"Sorry I'm late." She said quickly giving not explanation to her whereabouts.

"Okay, now that we're all here." Jack eyed Sam. "We got a new case. Well sort of. Almost ten years ago a sixteen year old boy went missing. No body, all cold leads. Until now. Jack paused glancing at the eyes watching him. A letter was sent to his sister. She recognizes the writing as her brothers." Jack coughed and shifted in his seat. "It was not dated so we're not able to tell if it was recent. Forensics is running tests on the ink. That may help us. His sister, I've sent her home. Danny and Martin, I want you to go to her apartment and question her. Receiving the letter, her brother leaving questions like that." Jack slid a yellow piece of paper towards Martin. He lifted it up and put it in his breast pocket.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us going." Vivian interjected swaying her hand between herself and Sam.

"No, she may be more comfortable around Danny and Martin."

"Viv- I want you and Sam to pull up the old case and reentries anyone. Look over everything and see if it seems out of place."

"And you'll be doing what." Sam asked a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Notifying the parents." 


	3. Now

**Thanks to those who reviewed. It might get a tad confusing because it goes from the past to the present. The inspiration from the format was from Jodi Pilcoult's _The Pact_. It will be obvious which is which though. But if it's insanely confusing let me know.**

He traced the scar with his index finger. He watched as she shifted in her sleep almost as if she knew what he was doing. She shifted again, her right shoulder farther away from him. He sighed, knowing it was useless and placed his hand on the middle of her back.

Everyone was allowed to have their own secrets, right? He had his, so she could have hers. Then again, aside from her brother he knew practically knew nothing about her. But the voice in the back of his head nagged that he returned the gesture and did divulge much about his past to her.

But that scar. Something about it creeped him out. Knowing that scar was deep in her skin and emotionally deep hurt him; sympathy pain.

Her body was warm; she was still battling a flu that was being passed around her job. He absentmindedly doodled on her back like he did every morning for the past few months. He would always wake up before she did. He gently pressed his lips to her left shoulder blade urging her to wake from the deep slumber she was currently in. She stirred again.

"Go away." She rasped her voice still hoarse from the previous night's sleep.

"You wouldn't like that." He said equally as loud.

"No I wouldn't." She paused. "What time is it?"

"A little passed six." he answered kiss her soft skin. She smelt of coconuts from the lotion she rubbed in the night before.

"Danny." she said restlessly. She knew what he was thinking.

"Sydney." he responded.

"I have work."

"So do I." He countered. Danny had worked his way up to her ear.

"Babe, seriously." Danny groaned but could sense in her voice she didn't want him to stop. He ignored her complaint; a complaint to a degree. "You are such a whore." she whined.

This time Danny answered. "Only to you."

Sydney curled her toes in towards the balls of her feet trying not to be interested in Danny's activity. Just then a cell phone shrilled through the air breaking Danny's lips from Sydney's skin.

"Yours or mine." He asked. Danny was hovering over her body, his arms stretched out on both sides of her.

"Mine."

"You planned that." He declared in disbelief.

"I did not. If I did it would of rang a long time ago, Hun." She reached over to the nightstand and retrieved her black phone. "Yeah." She said breathlessly into the phone.

"Carson?" Came a man's voice from the receiver.

"Yeah." Danny resumed his work, nipping at her lower lobe. Sydney attempted to stifle a moan and made a mental note to killed Danny later.

"You okay?" The voice asked.

"Yeah, fine Brent." Danny pulled away from her -still in a nose distance- brows furrowed, wondering why his girlfriend was talking to a guy as he was trying to get her to have sex. "Body aches."

"You're still comin' in right? You're okay to do that?" He asked not bothering to conceal the concern in his voice. He had his moments where he would treat everyone like they're pregnant; a worry wart. But the company loved him.

"Yeah, do you not need me or something?" Sydney ran her hand through Danny's bed head and directed him back to her neck. Danny flashed her an impish grin. She just couldn't handle him staring at her as if she was under a microscope. As he lowered himself back onto her, Sydney locked her legs on his lower back. She traced shapes on his right shoulder. Danny's lips began to trail down and Sydney dug the palm of her hand into his back, praying he'd get the message.

He didn't.

"Is that all Brent?"

"Yeah, You sure you're all right."

She squeaked. Yup, Danny defiantly had to be murdered. "Yeah, my body just aches and everything. Then I was doing PT as I was sick so it's just aches."

"All right." Brent bought it. Then again it was quite easy for her to pull the wool over his eyes. He wasn't the type to catch quickly and Sydney knew that when his daughter got old enough she would be getting away with a lot. "See ya soon Carson."

"Yeah," She flipped her phone shut and let it drop to the floor. "I hate you." She growled.

"That's kinda hot." Finally Danny stopped.

"That was a superior officer Danny."

"You told me to continue."

"You kept staring." She was stubborn and Danny loved that about her. But then again it always had it's bad side.

"You have work?"

"Yeah," She pushed Danny's warm body off. "And I can't be late."


	4. Then: Reasonable Doubt

bSorry that I've been taking forever with this story. School's almost out so I'll be able to update more when that's done with. The chapters will got longer too. Just keep in mind that it's in the then/now format. And it's centered more on Danny and Sydeny but you need a backstory anad the beginning THEN's are pretty much it. brOn to the story. /b

⌠Michael is alive?■ Mrs. Carson squeaked out as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

⌠According to this letter yes. However we don▓t know when it was written and forensics isn▓t getting far on the ink. But the case is reopened and we▓re going to follow all leads. I have agents who are going through the old case files as we speak.■

⌠Mr. Malone,■ Vincent said coldly, ⌠my boy▓s been missing for over ten years and I don▓t really appreciate you comin▓ around here tellin▓ me he may or may not be alive. I want a definite answer.■ Sandra stoked her husbands▓ arm in attempt to calm him down.

⌠Does Sydney know?■ She asked softly. Even though they drifted away Sydney was still her daughter.

⌠Yes, she is quite aware of what▓s going on.■ said Jack, phrasing his words appropriately.

⌠I want to talk to her.■

⌠While that is nice Mrs. Carson as of right now I don▓t believe that is the best idea right now.■ Jack spoke calmly contrary to what his emotions were feeling. His insides were bouncing around like a pinball.

⌠Now you▓re denying us access to our daughter.■ roared Vincent in disbelief.

⌠Mr. Carson, your daughter isn▓t a secret mission that requires special clearance. I will tell her you wish to talk to her and let her follow through on whether she wants to or not.■ Jack flipped open his notebook. ⌠Now, Mrs. Carson, when you were originally interviewed you said that Mike had bruises quite often. Did you think that he was having problems at school?■

⌠He told me he took up boxing ▒cause his friends were taking it and he did it to be like them.■ She recalled. Mr. Carson gripped his wife▓s▓ hand which Jack noted.

⌠You didn▓t think anyone at school had a problem with him?■

⌠My son may have been a sophomore but he was well liked. No one had a huge problem with him.■

⌠Mr. Carson, how did you feel about Mike boxing?■

⌠The boy needed to learn how to defend himself.■ Mr. Carson answered briefly. Placing the notebook back into his pocket, Jack got up and Mr. and Mrs. Carson followed suit. ⌠That▓s all or now.■ Once Jack left the condo that the Carson▓s lived in he made a phone call his cell phone.

⌠Viv, it▓s Jack. Like I thought ten years ago the father defiantly knows something.■ Jack paused listening to Vivian▓s response. ⌠Okay, I want you to pull up where he went boxing, those friends he did it with and talk to the counselor at his school. Maybe they▓ll know something.■ XXX

⌠What▓d we get?■ Jack asked generally to the agents. Vivian was the first to answer.

⌠Friends swear he took up boxing just ▒cause everyone else did. They also said he was more determined to become better and would spend his free time in the school gym. Counselor retired but the school willingly pulled up files on him and everything seems clean. Mike rarely went to him. It was only to get a reference to have an independent study, which was granted. 

⌠Seems, Gertrude, seems. The father knows something, I just know it.■ Vivian nodded her head at Jack intuition which was just as worse as listening to her mothers▓ intuition but Vivian knows Jack is usually right.

After going over the case, the reaction and statements from the father didn▓t seem full of concern and worry one would expect from a father who▓s son just went missing.

⌠Sam and Martin are at the gym the boys took classes at seeing if he remembers anything.■

⌠And he does.■ answered Sam while walking into the bull pen. ⌠He remembers him because he was always there and he means always. All members have to sign in to enter the gym and the gym keeps records of who▓s coming and going. Now they use cards but luckily, they converted all old files electronically and they still have the records. They also were willing to give them up. Said Mike helped out a lot around the gym.■

⌠The owner remembered Mike said something that he was in fact having problems with another guy. He didn▓t talk about it much afterwards but when he would come into the gym with black eyes everyone would assume from boxing.■ continued Martin, glancing at his notebook from time to time.

⌠The owner knew different. He thought it was the guy.■ Sam added.

⌠Now, he made no calls to the police because well, it▓s all circumstantial.■

⌠He thinks it was the dad. He said it was just a hunch.■

⌠Well, that makes to of us.■ Jack said aloud. 


End file.
